


The Questing Beast

by Brook182



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog (Video Games)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood, Canon-Typical Violence, Fluff and Angst, Injury, M/M, tags may be added as the story progresses
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:34:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28249215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brook182/pseuds/Brook182
Summary: This chapter is subject to change
Relationships: Lancelot (Sonic and the Black Knight) & Sonic the Hedgehog, Shadow the Hedgehog & Sonic the Hedgehog
Comments: 4
Kudos: 12





	1. New Arrival

**Author's Note:**

  * For [silvermun (simplydrastic)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/simplydrastic/gifts).



> This chapter is subject to change

“Are you hungry already, Lance because you seem to be enjoying eating my dust?” The newly crowned king of Camelot quipped as he sped past his trusted knight in shining armour. The barest huff of laughter made its way to Sonic’s ears as he raced towards their designated picnic spot at the edge of the prairie. Before long there came a surprisingly well-articulated comeback considering how much Lancelot must have been exerting himself.  


“That was a clever jest, Sire. Although, and forgive my audacity, your insult would have far more bite if it were not you who was lagging.”  


“Huh?” Sonic said eloquently before a dashingly handsome blur caught him by surprise as Lancelot skated past him with the ease of a practised runner. Some things never change.  


Luckily in this weird Arthurian fantasy world, Lancelot was no ultimate life form from space so Sonic was still the fastest thing alive and rushed over to match pace with the knight. “I think my joke rings true, Sir Lancelot,” Sonic said teasingly and was unashamedly pleased with the startled gasp he managed to coax from the seasoned knight as he once again surpassed him.  


It wasn’t long after that exchange that Sonic arrived triumphantly in first place on the hill overlooking the open field below. Lance arrived seconds later, elegantly gasping for breath before he noticed his king watching him smugly. He straightened instantly and willed his lungs to settle for shallower breaths. Sonic, thoroughly chuffed that he’d won, smirked and laid down the picnic blanket. He sat down and patted the seat next to him. Lancelot stumbled over, a lazy smile on his face. Sonic couldn’t believe it had been a year since he’d become king. Looking back on the early days he could see how far he’d come with getting Lancelot to treat him as a friend and not as a ruler.  


“It has been a pleasure racing with you, Sire.” Well, almost.  


“And it has been a pleasure kicking your arse.” Sonic joked to get the knight to loosen up.  


“Careful, Sire. Hubris is often the downfall of a tragic hero,” Lancelot said with a cheeky wink. The pair laughed and joked for a bit longer, tucking into the picnic basket to unveil the assortment of goodies they had managed to sneak out of the kitchen. There were grapes and cakes, bread and cheese, and all sorts of delicious treats that weren’t chilli dogs. Truly a tragedy. Sonic had tried to teach the chefs in the castle how to make them, but the last failed attempt was catastrophic enough to brand itself as the chilli fiasco, thereby convincing everyone involved to never endeavour to repeat the incident.  


Lancelot began sharing his take on the whole debacle, animatedly waving his hands about to express the enormity of the failure, when a figure in the distance caught Sonic’s eye. He fixated on that point near the horizon that seemed to host a familiar silhouette. The figure was getting closer, yet the details of their form were still too muddled to make out but they looked so familiar.  


Then it hit him.  


“Oh, but the scene was grim. The curtains were soiled! The dinnerware shattered. The only hope of salvaging the dubious concoction was littered on the floor and-”  


“Lance, stop waxing poetic for a second and tell me I’m not crazy.”  


Lancelot looked taken aback for a second before he opened his dramatically closed eyes and saw Sonic’s incredulous expression looking off into the distance. “Sire?”  


Sonic’s voice was barely above a whisper, nursing an emotion that Lancelot had only heard once in the king’s voice as the figure grew closer, steadily advancing the hill on which the pair were seated. “Is that..?”  


Just a few metres shy of reaching the slight hill the figure stopped short. Crimson eyes gazed unbelievingly back at Sonic. The king stood slowly on suddenly unsteady legs, overwrought with emotion. “Shadow?”  


A small smile and a sudden “who’s asking?” from the stranger was apparently all it took to jolt Sonic from his state of doubtful observation as he suddenly sped forth and threw himself at the other presence, desperately clinging to them in a tight embrace. Despite being caught off-guard, Shadow returned the hug, though a mystified quality never left his eyes. “Oh my- I missed you so much!” Sonic gushed, sending the slightest pang of jealousy through Lancelot’s heart. Apologies and assurances were thrown back and forth, though the rest of the exchange went unheard as the knight tried to make sense of the inexplicability of his interdimensional counterpart’s appearance. He was more than a little suspicious.  


Having finished their impromptu reunion, Sonic promptly acquainted the two strangers. “So, uh, this is awkward,” he started with a nervous chuckle looking between the two lookalikes. “I guess I should introduce you two then?”  


“That would be helpful, yes,” Shadow deadpanned, studying the obvious similarities he shared with Lancelot.  


“Well, this might be a lot to digest but, in short, this is Lancelot and he’s this dimension’s version of you.”  


“Hm, I figured as much.” Shadow hummed, his eyes narrowed and his fingers steepled against his chin in an expression of thoughtful investigation. “Why is he dressed like that?”  


“I beg your pardon?” Lancelot exclaimed with righteous indignation as Sonic guffawed at the stranger’s lack of tact. “I am a knight of remarkable standing. The accoutrements I adorn are a symbol of such and you will do well to respect that.”  


“Oh please,” Shadow said, rolling his eyes. “Go back to the renaissance festival, ‘Sir Knight’.”  


Lancelot was fuming now, his fingers twitching inches away from his sword as he glared at his parallel. It took much too much effort to rein in his composure as Sonic’s laughter died down to a snicker. He resolved to not attract the ire of the king by striking down one of his closest friends.  


“Now with that out of the way,” Sonic began, breathless from his laughing fit, “Lance, you already know enough about Shadow I assume so-”  


“Wait,” Shadow interrupted, his face contorted with confusion. “Why does he- how do you know who I am?” he asked pointedly at the knight.  


“I’ve been here for a whole year, Shad. You were bound to come up in conversation at some point,” Sonic said, bashfully rubbing the back of his neck.  


“But...but you’ve only been gone for a week.”  


“I’m sorry, what?”  


“Amy said you went missing a week ago.”  


“B-but that doesn’t make sense,” the king sputtered. “I’ve been here for a year. We had a coronation and everything. I’m on the currency!” Sonic exclaimed, producing a coin engraved with the image of his cheerful visage.  


“Perhaps we should take this exchange back to the castle, Sire,” Lancelot chimed in, sensing the king’s unease. He sent a pointed glare at the newly acquainted Shadow, a silent threat communicated through the eye-contact. Shadow didn’t flinch. “Merlina might have some answers.”  


Needless to say, the picnic was cut short.


	2. Bad Faith

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is subject to change.

The walk back to the castle was uncomfortable for everyone involved. The stifling silence was almost as unbearable as the random glances Sonic would send to Shadow as he walked briskly in front of him, Lancelot by his side. The knight had been especially cautious around Shadow, making sure to stand between him and the king the whole way back. Of course Shadow was onto him, but chose to not engage and give the knight the satisfaction of getting to him.

Sonic, on the other hand, was unaware of the silent rivalry taking place around him. His only focus at the moment was figuring out the reason for Shadow's sudden appearance in Camelot. He wasn't so much curious as he was nervous for what this could entail. After all, the last time he randomly dropped into a different dimension he had been selected to fight the monarchy to save the kingdom from destruction only to find that by association he was fighting _against_ the good of said kingdom. So, yeah, he was a little wary.

As soon as the trio reached the castle a servant was sent to fetch Merlina. As the boy scuttled away Sonic walked briskly through the winding corridor that led to his private study. During his year as king, the spacious yet cluttered office had fallen into disuse as Sonic preferred to perform his duties among the court rather than sit cooped up in a room all day, leading to every inch of the office being covered in a fine layer of dust. Cobwebs clustered in every corner and the lone oak desk at the back of the room was piled high with old paperwork and books. Sonic rushed into the room, disturbing the once-settled dust particles, sending them flying through the musty air causing a dull cloud to form. He took a seat behind the desk, his face nearly blocked from view by the sturdy wall of volumes in front of him.

Sonic looked contemplative as he glared at the spine of the topmost tome: _The Dictionary_. “Not that I’m not thrilled you’re here-” he began, clearly addressing Shadow with his tone rather than his eyes.

“Oh, this should be good,” Shadow grumbled, crossing his arms stiffly across his chest.

“But why and how did you get here exactly?”

“Your guess is as good as mine. All I know is that I fell through a portal and ended up face down in a field somewhere.”

Sonic snorted softly earning an irritated grunt from Shadow and a brief chuckle from Lance.

Before Sonic could ask any more fruitless questions, Merlina appeared in the doorway sporting a nervous look on her face. “You have need of me, Sire?” she asked, uncharacteristically timid. She seemed to notice Shadow just then and eyed him warily for an instant. Sonic noticed this and nodded sagely, motioning for her to come in. She did so and closed the door behind her.

There was an initial silence as she strode in, her strange shyness lending itself to the unease everyone was feeling. “Is there something you want to say first?” Sonic asked, taking note of how uncomfortable the sorceress was in Shadow’s presence.

Lancelot and Shadow eyed her curiously. Merlina sighed, knowing there was no avoiding the conversation. Lancelot leaned against the wall behind Sonic as the witch began to speak, feeling suddenly very protective of the king. Ever since Merlina’s attack on the kingdom, he had taken to avoiding her whenever he could. Sonic, however, did not share his sentiment, opting to trust that she had changed her ways. “I’m sure you’re all wondering the same thing,” she started, glancing at Shadow then returning her gaze to her hands as she took a seat on the untended leather couch at the lefthand side of the room. “I’m afraid I have some answers.”

“What do you mean you are ‘afraid’?” Lancelot spoke before anybody else could comment on her incriminating wording.

Melina sighed again, straightening her posture and looking directly into the king’s eyes. “I had a dream last night… a vision.” At the unexpected news, Sonic sat forward in his chair and moved the pile of books off the desk so that he could see the witch more clearly. Lancelot pushed off from the wall and uncrossed his arms, a rare moment of vulnerable curiosity. “It was all so disconcerting. I've had these feelings before but this felt like more than a bad dream. I am convinced that it was a portent of doom; a presage of great upheaval for the kingdom. Destruction, ruin, the kingdom razed to the ground. Then I heard a voice telling me that it could be avoided.”

“A voice?” Shadow repeated.

“Yes.”

“And who was the voice? Who spoke to you?” Lancelot inquired.

Merlina paused briefly, gathering her thoughts. “Kilgharrah. An ancient dragon my grandfather spoke of. He said that in order to stop the assured destruction of Camelot we would need a saviour from another realm.”

“Okay, but why me?”

“Why not you? You are the ultimate life form.”

“How did you-”

“I have transdimensional knowledge across space and time. I know all who live, all who have lived and all who will ever live. And I know you have the capability to end this senseless destruction.” Shadow seemed caught off-guard for a moment before he schooled his features to remain neutral and unphased. “Sire, I admit I brought him here-” Melina declared, turning back to address Sonic, “-but I only want what is best for the kingdom. The fact of the matter is that I should have sent you back to your realm sooner for if I had this may have been avoided. But the prophecy is already in motion and because that is so we must act. Please, Sire.”

Sonic was speechless for a moment, though he forcibly shook himself out of his daze and looked at Shadow. The other was turned away from him, glaring at the ground. Sonic ventured to wonder if he was okay with this. “You are excused, Merlina,” he said, still focused on the other standing a little ways from the corner. The witch nodded once then turned to exit, leaving the trio alone. “You too, Lance.”

Lancelot looked like he wanted to argue, but he merely bowed his head and followed Merlina out the door.

Sonic waited until he was certain the others were out of earshot before he spoke. “Are you okay with this?” No answer. “Shadow?” Still no answer. Sonic opened his mouth to ask for a third time before a soft voice stopped him.

“Why did you stay?”

Sonic was confused. “What?”

“If you knew you could go back why did you stay?” Shadow asked, his voice dangerously slow.

“How could I just leave?” Sonic said unhesitatingly, though his voice held a nervous undertone. “These people needed me. Was I just supposed to desert them without a king?”

“Yes, Sonic!” The sudden outburst caught Sonic by surprise and he jumped. “You don’t belong here. How do you not get that? You left behind everyone who ever cared about you to prance around some fairytale land and pretend to be a king? If I hadn’t shown up out of the blue would I have ever seen you again-”

“Yes! Yes, I would have come back-” Sonic desperately proclaimed.

“When? When would you have come back?” A crazed, exasperated laugh passed Shadow’s lips. “You’ve been here for a year. If the thought hadn’t crossed your mind by now it never would have and you know that!”

“That’s not true!”

“Do you even care about the people back home that miss you?” Shadow said and Sonic halted in his speech. “About Tails? About Amy, Knuckles- do you care about me?! _I_ missed you, _I_ was worried, and with no way to contact you for all I knew you could have been _dead_!”

“I’m not dead, Shad! It was only a week-”

“Not for you! You had no idea that time wouldn’t line up the same way. You had no idea that you didn’t leave us for over a year!” Having gotten that out of his system, crimson eyes glistening with unshed tears, Shadow tried to catch his breath. Sonic could see now how much he hurt his friends, how much he hurt Shadow.

“Shadow, I’m sorry,” Sonic said, reaching out to touch his friend’s shoulder but Shadow simply moved away. A look of betrayal crossed over his face corresponding with the painful sadness that laced the king’s eyes.

“No, I don’t think you are.” Shadow pushed past the smallest feeling of apprehension before he bolted for the door.

“Shadow, wait!”

Sonic knew he could have caught up to him, but he let him go. There was no use going after him when he was like this. It would only push him further away, but as night crawled closer and closer and the sun began to set he started to grow worried.

“I’m getting worried,” Sonic said truthfully as he paced across the width of the throne room, Lancelot and Merlina sitting idly on the dais, having watched the king’s constant marching for over an hour. Merlina was leaning lazily against her palm, animating small images out of the fire in the lit braziers while Lance sat respectfully upright. “I know he doesn’t want me around right now and he can take care of himself, but he doesn’t know where he is or where he’s going and-”

“We understand, Sonic, but if he’s anything like you described he’ll be just fine,” Lancelot reassured, still looking slightly concerned; for his counterpart or his king, Sonic didn’t know.

Sonic stopped his obsessive strides to consider the knight’s words, though the moment was short-lived as he only picked up his pace, much to the annoyance of his company. “Listen, it’s been hours and he hasn’t come back. I know he doesn’t need my help, but I can’t shake the feeling that something isn’t right, that he’s in some sort of trouble.” He paused once again, the gears in his head turning. Lancelot leaned forward, eager to hear the king’s next words. “I’m going to look for him.”

“What?” Merlina uttered in surprise, the fire puppets she had willed into existence dissipating as she straightened.

“He might be in danger and I’m not going to leave him out there alone. I have to go, if only just to check on him.”

“Sire, wait-”

“You can’t stop me, Lance,” Sonic exclaimed as he began marching to the wide mahogany doors of the throne room.

“I wasn’t trying to,” Lance said as he grabbed a hold of Sonic’s shoulder. “I’m coming with you.” The king smiled warmly at the gesture and placed his own gloved hand on the knight’s gauntlet.

“Me too,” Merlina declared, causing the pair to look at her as she strode towards them. “If your instincts hold any merit you might need someone with magic.”

With the help of his capable friends, the king began his search for Shadow under the cover of moonlight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading chapter 2! Please feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments! I always reply💓 stay tuned for chapter 3!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading this <3 You can find the originally published chapter(s) on my Tumblr (abject-chaos) if you're interested.


End file.
